


Perhaps in another lifetime, ma chérie

by heamiky



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-07-29 02:56:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7667569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heamiky/pseuds/heamiky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Strangers at first, Amélie and Lena get used to each other, becoming quick friends and slowly becoming something more as the time passes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The ballet she never wanted to see

**Author's Note:**

> The story takes place before Lena joins the Slipstream project and before Amélie becoming Widowmaker. I found out that this entire fic would not be even possible according to the timetable, so I choose to pretty much ignore most of it.

“You can’t possibly be serious about this, mate! What am I going to do at a ballet performance?! I _will_ die of boredom before we get through the first act!”

Gérard laughed at the sudden outburst and her high pitched voice.

“I feel you Lena, I really do. I’m not the biggest fan myself, but my wife is going to perform and you are literally the only one from the group who hasn’t met her yet. I want to introduce you. Plus,” he paused and grinned. “There are going to be loads of ladies in tights. I know you wouldn’t miss that now, would you?”

“That’s a low blow buddy.” Lena squeaked, trying to hide the sudden blush covering most of her face and her ears. “You are not even trying to play fair.”

“I never do, little one. So, will you come with me? Pretty please? I don’t want to go alone and I kind of promised Amélie that you’ll be there.”

“Okay, will do. It’s not like I have any plans anyway. But you own me one.”

“Perfect.” Gérard smiled happily and handed her a ticket. “Don’t forget that it’s a formal event. Wear something… How to put it… Un-Lena?”

“Tuxedo must do.”

*

She regretted leaving her apartment the moment she entered the theatre.

There were hundreds of people dressed in the most exclusive and expensive clothes she has ever seen, drinking champagne and quietly talking about topics, that would bore her to death, had she heard the exchanges. She felt completely out of place as everyone seemed to be some esteemed politician, celebrity, artist or another VIP.

She tugged nervously at her second hand tuxedo, the best thing she could afford, and for a moment she considered leaving, when Gérard finally emerged from the crowd, waving at her and grinning happily.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this you little shit.” she said, laughing and gently hitting him in the chest, suddenly relieved in his presence.

“Well, I gave you several very good reasons to come.” he put his hand around her shoulders, giving her an encouraging pat before letting go. “Trust me, I feel like an idiot here too. But it’s a premiere of Amélie’s new show and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. So, how about we grab a drink, whisky preferably, before the show starts?”

“Agreed.”

*

They had several in fact.

Lena ended up being fairly buzzed before the performance even started, but she felt much more at ease. They entered the balcony and sat next to each other, laughing one last time before the lights went dark.

The music filled the room as curtain was lifted to show several dancers already set in the right positions, ready to begin.

She spotted Amélie right away.

Tall, slender, with her dark hair pulled into a perfect bun, she stood in front of the other dancers since she was the lead. Every single move she made was perfect, every step carefully calculated, her form impeccable. With light smile on her face she moved with grace never showing even the slightest sign of fatigue or exhaustion, although few droplets of sweat started to form on her brow.

Lena’s heart started racing and she could only hope that the sudden affection she felt towards the dancer was caused by the amount of alcohol in her system. She couldn’t look away from her for the rest of the evening as if she was in some sort of trance. But she didn’t regret a single second.

When the performance came to its end, she was the one who was clapping the loudest.

*

“I knew you were going to like it.” Gérard teased her as they both returned to the foyer, waiting for Amélie to change and get dressed for the dinner. “I told Amélie about you and she is thrilled to finally meet you. She is good friends with our Swiss doctor, you know, so she heard about you from multiple sources.”

At the thought of the French woman, Lena’s mouth was suddenly dry, her ears becoming red and her face heated with a wild blush. Whatever this was, she hoped that she was developing a crush on her friend’s wife.

“I don’t know about you, but I could use another drink.” Lena sighted.

“Are you sure? I think you had enough for the night, Lena. Your face is red already.”

“Don’t worry, I can hold my liquor.” she laughed him off and left him to get another glass, while she tried to calm herself down.

_I just have to keep my cool. Perhaps she is going to be hideous. Or she is just going to be a giant bitch for the rest of the evening. There are endless possibilities. Everything is going to be just A-Okay._

The foyer cleared out and as she was returning back to stand next to Gérard, Amélie emerged from behind the stairs. Lena nearly dropped her glass – the dancer was even more beautiful now up close, then when she saw her on the stage. Her dark hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, most of her makeup was gone, only a bit of a red blush on her perfect cheekbones left and she added a bit of crimson lipstick on her lips.

“Sorry I couldn’t come sooner. Everyone is especially chatty today.” her voice was deeper that she

expected and she spoke with heavy accent.

“Don’t worry, we weren’t waiting for long. Amélie, this is Lena Oxton, one of our top pilots.”

“Amélie Lacroix. _Enchanté_.” the French woman leaned in and gave her Lena to quick pecks just behind her ears while the brit instinctively extended her hand to offer a handshake, accidentally poking Amélie right in the stomach.

“I’m sorry. I just… Wasn’t quite expecting that. You know, we don’t do this in England. We do handshakes. And I didn’t mean to hit you in the stomach, I just…”

Amélie was just starring at her in confusion, while Gérard couldn’t stop chuckling.

“You are rambling, little one.”

“It’s okay, I moved here just a few weeks ago and I haven’t had the time to settle down and get used to _everything_.” Amélie spoke with kind smile and squeezed the offered hand.

_This is going to be a long and really awkward night…_ Lena thought to herself as the three of them walked out of the theatre building.


	2. The lesson she was scared of

As it turned out, Amélie was even nicer than she seemed to be.

She asked Lena so many questions, although she already knew most of the answers, stepping carefully, showing interest to boost her confidence, but never prying too much for it to become uncomfortable.

When silence finally fell upon the table, Lena stepped forward trying to remember everything she read that afternoon about ballet and theatre in general, and tried even harder to keep the conversation she stared flowing. Both Gérard and Amélie laughed when she mispronounced some of the French terms, later bursting into tears when Lena started messing them on purpose adding her British accent to boost.

Amélie tried to explain everything she didn’t understand and promised her she would give her a demonstration of some of the basic steps and more. When she offered to teach Lena some of them and at that moment Gérard had excuse himself because of the volume of his laughter was disturbing other customers.

Lena stared at the French woman in surprise, waiting for her to say it was a joke, but that never came. In fact, she was looking at her with a kind and reassuring smile, awaiting her answer. She accepted, warning her of her terrible dancing skills.

The time flew faster that anyone of them would wish to, but at one point their waiter finally came and politely announced that the closing hour has approached.

It was past one in the morning when they parted ways. Gérard gave Lena a firm hug and Amélie going for the kiss again, stopping herself just as she was leaning in and to Lena’s surprise pulled back, giving her a firm handshake and a warm smile before wishing her good night.

Lena returned home with a happy grin on her face.

*

One afternoon while she was running laps on the base, doing her basic cardio, she got a message from Amélie inviting her over to the dance studio she worked in. She mentioned that a class she was to tutor was cancelled and that she was free for the rest of the day.

Lena promised, she would arrive within an hour, ran back to her room, took a quick, very cold shower and with a bag filled with clean clothes she went out.

The thrill she felt before quickly dropped when she got to the studio and saw all the incredibly tall women, only now fully realizing what she signed up to. She used to do gymnastics when she was little, but this was something completely new to her. It was a new challenge.

_What did I get myself into…?_

Amélie was already standing in front of one of the smaller rooms, waving at her.

“I’m glad you came. I promise you won’t regret it.” she said pulling her into the room with a happy grin and slamming the door behind them.

“I promise that I will try my best not to frustrate you for the rest of the afternoon with my horrifying dancing skills.”

“I think you will do great.”

“Where can I change?” Lena asked nervously, looking around for a changing room. “I guess that dancing in my jeans wouldn’t be exactly advisable.”

“Oh, yeah, now that I’m thinking about it, the changing room is currently occupied with one of the beginner courses, the other one too. I guess you could change in here.”

At that moment, Lena could feel steam coming out of her ears as another mighty blush came over her entire face. Amélie realized what she said few seconds too late, her eye widening as she covered her mouth, blushing herself as well.

“I mean I wouldn’t look of course. I can leave the room if you want me to. I didn’t mean to imply…”

“It’s okay.” Lena squeaked, her voice at least one octave higher than usual. “If you wouldn’t mind turning around though…”

Amélie bit her lip in embarrassment and with few quick nods she turned herself to face to wall trying to fight the blush on her cheekbones.

Lena tried her best not to stare at her backside, shying away, focusing on getting into the only pair of tights she owned and a black tank top to match.

“Okay, I’m ready as I’ll ever be.” she said, giving Amélie one last reinsuring grin before they started.

*

She didn’t need a warm up as she was exercising the entire day, but Amélie insisted. Lena was later glad she did, when every single one of her muscles was pulled into a different direction.

They started slowly, Amélie showing her some of the basics and even some more advanced techniques, as she promised, before she asked Lena to join.

Amélie was very careful not to touch her, since she figured that it was bit uncomfortable for Lena, so she just gently lifted her hands barely grazing her skin with her fingertips. As the day progressed she started to add more pressure, carefully watching, if she wasn’t overstepping the silent boundaries between them.

Lena wasn’t flinching or pulling away, in fact she was smiling and seemed more comfortable with each minute passing. Amélie was standing behind her most of time, pulling her head up by her chin, pushing her shoulders down and once or twice trailing her fingers across her spine, making her straighten her back and causing another blush on Lena’s face.

She was rather impressed by how fast Lena learned.

It was few minutes past eight, when they agreed to try the choreography they were practicing all afternoon one more time and call it a day.

Lena tried to concentrate the best she could and she felt like she was doing a pretty good job, when she heard a light chuckle coming from the dancer.

“Did I mess it up again?” she asked, confused.

Amélie shook her head, but couldn’t stop giggling.

“I’m sorry, but your tongue was peeking out of your mouth while you were trying to do the last part. It was absolutely adorable.”


	3. The first time they invited her

There were multiple reasons to celebrate.

The first and most important one was to make a surprise party for Reinhardt on his birthday. The freshly retired warrior came to London to visit the old gang that was now stationed there and was more than pleasantly surprised when he saw all his friends and former colleagues in one room.

The second reason was Fareeha’s return from her third tour in Iraq. Ana spend with her daughter every second she could, trying to make up from the lost time she wasn’t there for her. When duty called, and she had to leave her daughter’s side, the young Amari was spotted following doctor Ziegler around the base like a lost puppy, spending rest of her free time in her office. The otherwise very busy doctor didn’t seem to mind one bit; in fact, she was happier than ever before.

Lastly, Lena officially became an Overwatch agent, landing a spot in the Slipstream project as one of the test pilots. It would take eight months of training, medical testing and other preparations before she could get into cockpit, but she was thrilled anyway and simply couldn’t wait to get started.

*

It was the first time Amélie was invited to hang out with the Overwatch agents.

She got to meet each of them separately, usually outside the base, on some rather formal and public event. The only three agents she got to truly know were Lena, Angela and the older Captain Amari. As the wife of one of the founding agents of Overwatch, she was welcomed at the base, just never _invited_. She often sneaked into the doctor’s office, surprising her in the middle of the work day, just to take her out for lunch or coffee.

She went to the base gym, just to awkwardly stare at Lena running lapses around the hall or doing some basic strength exercises. Since Lena always wore headphones and never paid much attention to her surrounding while the trained, she never even knew, that Amélie has been sitting there, watching her for hours without saying a word.

Captain Amari sometimes stopped her on the hallway just to ask about how she was doing. Ana shown concern about Amélie’s wellbeing, especially now, when Gérard was always leaving on missions without any prior notice, sometimes for weeks at a time. Amélie always waved her off saying that everything is good. The older woman saw the exhaustion and sadness in her face, as she was trying to lie even to herself, but the Captain never pried any further.

*

Gérard was pulled by Commander Morrison away from her almost immediately after they entered. Jack had some rather important issue to discus with him, only giving her an apologetic look before she lost sight of them.

Amélie found herself standing alone by the door, looking over the room filled with people who were practically strangers to her. She bit her bottom lip, trying to find a familiar face in the crowd.

“Hey there, you seem kinda lost, love.” Lena’s cheerful voice cut through the silence that surrounded her.

“A bit.” she admitted, smiling sadly.

Lena grabbed her hand and gently pulled her towards the centre of the room, mischievous grin appearing on her face.

“Have you met Fareeha yet?” she asked, giggling quietly.

“I don’t think I had the pleasure yet. She is Ana’s daughter right?”

“Yeah, that’s her. Now, look over there.” Lena pointed discreetly towards the other side of the room.

Fareeha was standing in the corner, leaning against the wall with a bottle of beer in her hands. She was wearing a low cut tank top that showed every single bit of her toned muscles as well as her cleavage. Angela was standing suspiciously close to her, her cheekbones slightly red. Amélie was staring at the two of them - they both blushed, smiling and chuckling awkwardly, sometimes sneaking a glare at each other’s chest while the other one was looking.

“They are so freaking adorable.” Lena squeaked as she was really amused by how awkward the otherwise stoic doctor could be when it came to someone’s daughter. “They’ve been doing this all week, ever since Fareeha arrived in London.”

Amélie started giggling when she saw Angela _accidentally_ spilling her drink on Fareeha’s shirt. The doctor got all flustered when she tried to dry the stain out with napkins. She stopped when she approached the other woman’s chest, blushing madly and gibbering something in German. Fareeha caught her hands gently and pulled them back the Angela’s sides, excusing herself to get changed into some dry clothes. Angela just stood there, completely frozen, starring onto the spot where Fareeha was standing few seconds ago and hiding her face in her hands.

“Angela never mentioned liking Fareeha.” Amélie uttered with a hint of sadness in her voice. She was more than happy for the couple, but she was little dashed that the doctor never told her.

“Oxton!” someone shouted behind them, Lena jumping few inches into the air and Amélie turning her head in surprise.

Ana was standing there, hands on her hips and a deadly glare in her eyes.

“Yes, ma’am?” Lena peeped.

“I have new orders for you. And for you too, Lacroix.”

Amélie stared at her, scared of what was to come next.

“Now, listen carefully, I won’t say it again.” she barked, her voice harsh and pretty loud. “First: if you ever see doctor Ziegler with coffee in her hands or making it, you must confiscate every last drop of it, no matter how much she will resist. Second: make sure that she exercises every other day and runs for at least a half an hour a day. Third: if you ever see her wondering the hallways or sitting in her lab past curfew, you are allowed to tranquilize her with a sleeping dart, then move her to her own room.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Lena shouted back and saluted, desperately trying not to burst in laughter.

“And now the last and most important one: if you see Ziegler around my daughter engaging into any form of physical contact that has nothing to do with her professional duty, you are allowed to use physical force to tear them away from each other and spill a bucket of cold water on their heads! Are we clear solider?!” she shouted, but couldn’t stop the twitch in the corners of her mouth, showing the slightest smile.

“Yes, ma’am!” this time Amélie joined her in the salutation, trying to look as serious as she possibly could in this situation.

“Good.” Ana smiled at them and gave each a pat on the back. “I’m counting on you two.” she winked at them before leaving to join Reinhardt for another round of drinks. The couple stood straight for several seconds before finally letting the laughter go.

*

Since Gérard was still away with Morrison and Lena engaged in conversation with the doctor, Amélie found a little time for herself, leaving them and going out to the large balcony, overviewing the base grounds and facilities.

She leaned against the railing, resting her arms and enjoying the view with a glass of wine in her hand. She didn’t know, how long she stood there. She just focused on the soft, night breeze around her, until she felt goosebumps creeping all over her skin.

“There you are. We’ve been looking all over for you.” once again, Lena’s voice tore her away from her thoughts.

“Sorry, I just needed some fresh air.” she lied as the little brit joined her alongside the railing.

“You know, if something’s bothering you, you can tell me.” Lena said and giving the French woman a wink and a bright smile.

Amélie smiled at the gesture.

“I got fired from the theatre.” she whispered, her voice filled with sadness.

Lena gulped at her for a moment.

“Why?”

“Well, I’m not exactly young, not for a ballet dancer. But that was not the main reason. I messed up on stage. I fell because my feet couldn’t bare the tension anymore. I haven’t seen a doctor yet, but it seems that my ankle might be damaged. Maybe permanently.” she admitted, looking somewhere beyond the base grounds. Lena stood silently beside her, waiting patiently.

“They made me an offer. I could stay until the end of my current contract and then leave, or I could resign right then and there and be offered a job as a dance teacher.”

“Did you take the deal?” Lena asked softly, squeezing the other woman’s hand in comfort.

“Of course I did. I didn’t really have a choice. This way I can at least keep on working in the studio. It’s going to be hard to get used to. I will have so much more free time now. And with Gérard constantly away on his missions… I have a feeling that this is going to get really lonely.”

“I know it’s not much of a consolation, but Angela and I will always be there for you. You know that, right?”

Amélie finally met her gaze and all of sudden dragged the little brit into a firm hug. Lena could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, when Amélie pulled her even closer and rested her chin on her head.

“Thank you.” Amélie whispered before she finally let go.

*

When they returned back to the hall, Gérard and Morrison were already there, arguing quietly about something with Reyes and Ana.

Morrison clapped his hands few times to gain everyone’s attention before he spoke.

“I sorry to crash the party, but I just got news from our base in Russia. There are three reported attacks claimed by Talon. Three in one day. According to one of our agents, more are expected in the upcoming days. This might be our only chance to stop Talon and destroy the organization once and for all. I guess you know what that means. We are leaving tomorrow at 0600 hours. Now, who is coming…” he looked into the paper in his hands, sighted and started reading. “Morrison, Reyes, Amari, Lacroix, Lindholm, Ziegler, McCree, Shimada. Oxton, you are staying here, it’s not up for debate. The rest of our agents are already waiting for us there. I’m not going to lie; I don’t know how long we are going to stay there. But the best estimate we got right now are three months.” he paused. “One more thing. Reinhardt, I know you are retired, but I wanted to ask you if you could stay here for the time we’ll be gone. All the senior officers are leaving and I would like to have you covering our backs in case everything goes south.”

The German warrior stood up, towering over everyone.

“It will be my pleasure.”


	4. The goodbyes they didn’t want to say

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone mention angst?

There was no time for goodbyes.

Everyone went straight back to their quarters right after Morrison’s announcement. Jack apologized to Reinhardt for ruining the day with grim news. The older man just squeezed his shoulder and gave him an encouraging look, nothing more was needed.

Fareeha went to help with the preparations, standing alongside her mother for the rest of the night. Ana appreciated all the effort her daughter put in, but as the sun started to rise, she gave her a long, firm hug and sent her to Angela’s office, knowing how much Fareeha needed to beside the doctor in that moment.

Lena ran around pulling large crates onto the aircraft, helping however she could. She was the only one who got benched this time, but even though she knew the reasons behind it, she was still furious she couldn’t go with the rest of the crew. She felt like she was betraying them all. She was supposed to be in the front line, covering them, piloting. Instead she had to stay, spending every day in fear for their save return.

Amélie drove back to their flat, getting few more things that Gérard needed. On the way back she could barely hold her tears. She was choking down sobs as she approached the base again, punching the steering wheel with such a ferocity, she could hear fingers cracking with each hit. She dried every last tear before she pulled into the parking lot, trying to keep herself calm at least until they were gone.

*

She found Gérard sitting on his bed, his duffle bag ready right next to him. He was starring outside the window with neutral, unreadable expression, but she could see past that. She saw every bit of concern, every bit of fear, every bit of sadness.

He gently pulled her next to him, intertwining their fingers together. He couldn’t look at her. He made a promise to her that he now had to break. He told her that he is going to be there for her. That he will never leave again like this. That he will do whatever it takes to save their relationship, their marriage. But he had to leave. He didn’t have a choice. She knew that.

This was all that was left of the happy couple.

They could have tried to pretend that it might get better. But they both knew that it was over.

He kissed the back of her hand, pressing it against his cheek.

He wanted to remember everything about her. The way she smelled, when she came out of the shower. The way her hand fit right into his. Her raven hair pulled into the perfect bun. The heat of her skin against his. The way her lips tasted. The magnificent gaze of her golden eyes. Her gorgeous cheekbones, her jawline so sharp it could tear flesh, her pointy nose.

The list was endless.

He wanted to memorize everything, because he knew that even if he came back alive, he would never have the privilege to call Amélie his wife ever again.

*

Fareeha walked into the doctor’s office only to find Angela standing by her desk in the dim light of the lamp, checking everything several times before the deployment.

Everything had to be in its place. Every single medical supply was too precious on the front. Fareeha knew that better than anyone. Angela wanted to be ready for everything. Even though she couldn’t.

Fareeha sneaked her hands around the doctor’s waist and pulled her closer, smelling the lavender scent of her hair.

“Promise me you’ll come back.” she whispered, her voice shaking.

Angela leaned into her, feeling at ease in her lover’s arms.

“I will do my best, Fareeha.”

“Promise me.” her voice cracked as tears started rolling down her cheeks.

There she was – a professional solider, three tours done, crying like a little child because her love was going away. She cried because she knew what is Angela going to face out there. She knew all of it. She finally knew how Angela felt every time she saw her leave for another tour.

“I promise.” Angela’s voice was soft as she turned around to face Fareeha, gently cupping her face.

“Good.” Fareeha gritted through her teeth as her jaw was clenched firmly. “Because I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

Angela smiled and pulled her head down to give her one last breath-taking kiss.

*

As the hour approached, all the agents started to come to the airport.

Morrison did the last check of their gear and supplies, before he waved at them and boarded on the aircraft, silently followed by Reyes and Shimada.

Tornbjörn had one last drink with Reinhardt, McCree patted Lena’s head and wished her good luck in her training.

Anna pulled her daughter into one last desperate hug, before catching Angela’s hand and dragging her to join them.

“I will look after her, don’t worry my dear.” she looked down at the couple and kissed both of their foreheads before grabbing her duffle bag and following Morrison and the rest.

Fareeha held the doctor in her arms for as long as she could, gently caressing the skin on her neck.

Gérard and Amélie came side by side, their faces dark with exhaustion, regret and sorrow. Gérard pulled his wife against himself, kissing her on her temple and leaving at the very same moment, never looking her in the eye.

*

And so they stood there, the four of them watching their loved ones go.

The aircraft took of several moments later, leaving them behind. Reinhardt pulled all three women into a hug, knowing how much pain this was causing them. He didn’t have to say a word. He just had to stand there and hold them close.


	5. The people they left behind

They spent first two weeks each completely alone.

Amélie returned to her teaching, taking more courses as each day passed, working and dancing until her feet bled. She welcomed every last bit of the pain, coming back each day to work harder and longer.

Farreha stayed on the base, helping Reinhardt manage the mess that the deployment caused. She took over Angela’s room, since she was already familiar with it and she was certain that Angela wouldn’t mind her staying.

Lena got on the program, starting her first stress tests. She was a well-trained and experienced pilot, but this was too much even for her. Three days in she started bleeding from her nose, five days the veins in her eyes started to pop. Ten days in she started bleeding internally. She ended up on the base ER and stayed in the hospital for five days, having two minor surgeries to fix the problem and stop the bleeding. There were days when the pain became unbearable and she kept on dozing off from the strong painkillers, her mind hazed with a fog made of the mixture of meds she had been given. It wasn’t until then that the researchers stopped the stress tests completely.

“We were surprised she made it this far.” she heard one of them say.

She got two weeks off to recover, but she was supposed to keep on exercising regularly. The doctors treating her wounds disapproved of that greatly telling her to get as much rest as she could. She didn’t really listen to either group.

When she was finally discharged from the hospital, she packed some of her things and went straight to the studio to see Amélie, that had no idea what happened to her.

She knew her schedule, she knew she wasn’t about to interrupt any of her lessons.

*

“Why didn’t you called?” she practically yelled at Lena, her voice hiding guilt and sadness behind it’s volume.

“They didn’t let me.” Lena admitted. “They don’t want this sort of information to get out and fuck up one of their precious programs. My co-pilots, they all started showing the same symptoms, but days ahead of me. I lasted the longest in fact. I feel like this was some cruel test to determine who will stay in the program and who won’t. Guess I made the cut.” she continued, staring at her shoelaces.

When she finally looked back at the taller woman, tears have been spilling from her golden eyes like a waterfall. Amélie didn’t cry since the night that Gérard has left. Not a single tear. But when she saw Lena and realized, she could have lost her to some stupid training, something in her broke.

She pulled Lena into a tight embrace, hiding her face in her messy her, trying to muffle her loud sobbing. The brit held her close, making slow strides with her fingers across the small of her back, burying her own face into the soft fabric covering her toned shoulder. There was something about the way Amélie acted around her, that made her heart flutter. Warm feeling spread through her veins, her head all dizzy from it.

She felt like coming home, when she was held tight in Amélie’s arms.

*

When Amélie finally calmed down and slowly pulled away, they were both stuck in place, starring at each other, the moment becoming more and more awkward with each second passed. Lena caught the other woman starring at her lips with a hungry expression, her own mouth slightly parted. She looked back into her hazel eyes, the tension between them growing even stronger.

“I was hoping you could teach me some more stuff.” Lena finally broke the silence, coughing slightly to mask her high-pitched voice. “You know, if you are not busy and you even…”

“Yes, absolutely.” Amélie interrupted her midsentence knowing, what would the little brit say. ‘Only if you wanted to.’ And she didn’t want anything more at that moment.

And so they danced together.

But something was different this time. Everything felt intimate, every single touch, every single gesture. Amélie was standing behind her and she was so close that she could feel her breath on her nape. Sometimes, their thighs would brush against one another, sometimes Lena could feel Amélie guiding her every move, trailing her fingers wherever she could.

It felt more like they were dancing together, as partners.

*

“You know,” Amélie mumbled, her mouth still full of food. They were sitting in a bistro near the studio, having a late dinner together, chatting, starring at each other’s lips and giggling awkwardly. “I can teach you more things, I can actually do more the just ballet. Salsa for example. Or tango, although you might need a partner for that...” she trailed of, shaking her head.

“You could be my partner…” Lena muttered, almost hoping Amelié couldn’t hear her, wild blush spreading from her nose back to her ears.

The French woman smiled at her, but it was not one the shy, awkward ones. Lena could see the same hungry eyes she saw at the studio. There was a strange sense of confidence to it. And it was getting harder to resist.

“Can you come tomorrow?”

“You bet.”

*

Fareeha took the watch that day, staying up late by the radio in case there were some news. Reinhardt needed some good night sleep and she knew all too well that she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep that night. The nightmares were stronger than ever before, waking her in the middle of night with her own screaming. She needed something to take her mind of it. She needed Angela.

She was just pacing through the office, when she heard the static sound of the radio change.

“Reinhardt, are you there?” it was Genji Shimada’s voice, weak and exhausted.

Fareeha practically jumped to the station, answering.

“Reinhardt is sleeping, Captain Amari junior here.”

“Fareeha…” something in his voice broke. “There will be a plane arriving tomorrow…”

“With what? With who?” she almost shouted in to the microphone.

“Angela’s coming home. She got shot. Fareeha, it’s bad…”

Fareeha froze in place, not being able to say anything.


	6. The brave doctor coming home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first paragraph contains a fair amount of blood and gore, so skip it if you are uncomfortable with this kind of stuff.

_There was a strange silence surrounding them._

_They managed to push Talon away from the city, taking dozens of their agents down and arresting countless others. Talon was losing. Overwatch stroke with all its force and stopped another bombing from happening._

_But there were countless victims._

_Angela haven’t slept for two days, taking care of the wounded soldiers, Overwatch and Talon alike, every life mattered to her. She tended to their wounds the best she could with the little she had. She tried to distribute non-urgent cases to the civil hospitals around them. She tried to bring some order into the chaos that her comrades and her enemies made._

_It happened on the third day of fighting._

_Talon gathered their forces and threw everything they had on them. With bullets and grenades flying around her head she still managed to save dozens of lives._

_She dove right into the skirmish the moment she saw a little boy getting mixed into the fight. She slipped through the rain of bullets unharmed, picking the little one up and carrying him away, to safety._

_They almost made it around the corner. But then a loud crack pierced through her ears and she was falling on the ground. Everything slowed down suddenly. She saw the bullet coming from her shoulder, droplets of blood springing from the wound. The surge of pain that came through her entire body like a hurricane almost took her out. She dropped the boy, who ran away, leaving the doctor lying on the ground, as she instinctively clutched at her shoulder, hoping to slow down the bleeding._

_Then she felt the strangest sensation._

_In her right she couldn’t feel anything. No pain, no tickling from the sudden loss of blood flow, not even her own blood pouring own from the gunshot, staining her sleeves and creating a small puddle under her._

_There was nothing._

*

Fareeha didn’t understand a single sentence that the doctor said.

She recognized few words – heavy bleeding, blood clot, too much time, it had to be done… Her head felt heavy, she could hear ringing in her ears as if a grenade just detonated right next to her. Shimada told her that Angela almost died during an assault. That she almost had bled out trying to save someone. That she is still not stabilized and she might not make it back to London.

They didn’t let her see Angela when she finally arrived, not even for a single second. There was so much shouting, as the seven doctors tried to communicate with each other, each one them having a different opinion. There was one major surgery that had to be done. It was a matter of life or death. And so Reinhardt held her in his arms, pulling her close even though she tried to escape his grip to see her love. She screamed and fought, but it was useless. She could feel Reinhardt’s own tears dripping on her head and shoulders, as the giant warrior couldn’t bare the pain himself.

When the finally got Angela into the compound and out of her sight, there was only fear and emptiness left.

*

They let Fareeha into the hall that led right to the surgery room where they had Angela. It was the closet place she could be at the moment.

She was unable to decipher her own thoughts, her hands and shoulders were shaking as she couldn’t calm herself down.

She tried to reason with her own self.

Angela had the best care there was in the world in her condition. All trained and experienced professionals that were used to pulling bullets, shrapnel and led out of human bodies. They knew how put them back together. They must have seen worse cases than this one and still were able to help. There was no way that Angela could…

Tears sprung from eyes at the thought. She held them for so long, ever since she got the message from the young Shimada. She hid her face in her hands sobbing loudly, gasping for air.

The surgery took what seemed like years to her.

She paced through the hall, she lied on the benches, she started doing push-ups on the floor; anything to get her mind of the dark thought creeping through her skull.

One of the surgeons emerged from the door all of sudden, with a hint of a smile on his face. She immediately jumped next to him, fighting the urge to grab him by his collar and getting the information she so desperately needed by force.

“She is okay, Captain Amari. She’ll live.” he said, his voice filled with both pride and happiness. “But there is something you should know…” he started, but was interrupted by a cracking of the door.

Two nurses were guiding the bed with Angela through them to get her to the ICU.

Her skin was pale, she was unconscious, her eyes shut and barely breathing. However, there was something different about her.

It took Fareeha few minutes to realize that there was just an empty sleeve where her right hand used to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was a 'rather' Pharmercy chapter so I decide to split this into two fics; one with Widowtracer (this one) and another one with Pahrmercy that I will start writing in two I guess. Also, this is pretty much the end of the major angst in this fic, so don't worry, there will be some fun stuff coming very soon.


	7. The spark that started a fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW-ish chapter coming your way

She wasn’t feeling guilty anymore.

They had made promises to each other. They made a deal. And it was he who broke it. There was no reason for Amélie to feel guilt. He knew very well, that leaving his wife alone for months at a time was horrible for both of them and that their relationship only suffered from it. The time he spent with her just wasn’t enough anymore. They became strangers to one another. There was no way to fix this anymore. They had to part ways. Perhaps it wasn’t official yet, but it was over. In her bones she could feel that it was over.

She continued through the store, looking for the perfect dress. She had picked one for herself, black one that exposed her entire back, but covered her slender arms all the way down to her plams. That was the first part of the gift she planned for Lena. Herself in that dress. She knew that how she would react to such a sight.

Now she was looking for something for her.

There was one particular piece that caught her eyes. Dark green sateen combined with black lace covering the chest and simple straps over the shoulders.

Amélie made the mistake of imagining Lena in it as she felt a shiver going down her spine. She immediately took them from the hanger and threw it over arm. The last part was to pick up some comfortable dancing shoes.

Amélie knew very well that Lena didn’t wear heels often and that she was rather clumsy when she did. She picked up a pair with soft cushioning and straps made from a very soft material. The heel was smaller than usual and particularly wider. They would fit just perfectly.

*

She knew that Lena had a crush on her ever since they first met.

The blushing, sheepish looks she was giving her, her constant presence around her. The raged breaths she got from her every time she touched her. It was all too obvious. She was also aware that Lena tried to push those feelings away. Before, Amélie would be glad for that, but everything changed. She wasn’t _taken_ anymore. She was free to do whatever she wanted.

And she wanted Lena ever since the performance.

She was longing for her touch, craving her presence. The smell of hair that reminded her of raspberries and made her crazy every time she approached her.

Amélie was rather good at concealing her feelings in front of her. Lena probably didn’t even know how much she wanted her, or that she wanted her at all.

She knew all too well that the little brit didn’t have the courage to make the first step. She didn’t want to push her. But she was about to test how far she could go and get away with it.

*

Lena walked into the studio with a strange sense of confidence.

She spent last night watching videos with the basics of ballroom dancing and even tried to learn at least a few steps on her own.

Her heart stopped beating for second when she saw Amélie leaning against the wall in her new dark dress that left little to the imagination. She had to pause for a moment to return herself back to reality, trying to breathe again.

Amélie knew exactly what she was doing to her. A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she stepped forward and gave the stunned brit a hug that was a bit too long to be platonic, nuzzling her face in the crook of her neck.

They walked into room silently, Lena still trying to manage her basic body functions, her cognitive ones still lost somewhere in a haze of Amélie’s perfume.

“I got you something.” Amélie muttered and handed Lena the small package that was lying next to her own things.

Lena glanced between Amélie and the package, before she finally started to unwrap it. Her eyes went wide when she saw what was in it, starring at the beautiful sateen dress that was hidden inside. Amélie only grinned at her and turned herself around, giving Lena space to change.

“I don’t wear dresses very often.” Lena murmured, her confidence gone in Amélie’s presence.

“Maybe it’s for the best. I can’t imagine how many people would start to trip over their own feet if they ever saw you in one.” she giggled as she started to prepare the music. “The amount of accidents that could cause…”

“So does that mean that you will tripping for the rest of the afternoon?” she answered with a smug on her face.

“Oh no, I had the time to mentally prepare myself for this, you won’t get me that easy.”

She turned the music on and turned herself back to Lena.

“First, we will work on you posture. All I want you to do right now is to feel the rhythm of the music, feel the beat and count; slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, in your head, I will do the rest, okay? Just relax and don’t fight me.”

Lena nodded and did as she was asked.

_Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow._

Amélie didn’t restrain herself in any form, knowing exactly what she and Lena both wanted. First, she pushed her shoulders down gently, her own palms coming up to straighten her neck. Lena didn’t quite meet her gaze but the blush spreading from her cheeks down spoke for itself.

She became stiff all of sudden, realizing how close the French woman was standing. Amélie massaged the tense muscles around her nape and all the way down to her shoulder blades.

“Relax…” she murmured silently, her voice barely audible.

Amélie traced her fingers up to her jawline, trying to push her chin just a bit upwards. Lena was barely able to breath, her eyes half closed and fist clutched, gripping at the fabric of her dress. But she did hold her head just in the right way. Amélie moved herself so she was standing right behind her, just an inch away from touching her with her own body. She sneaked one hand around Lena’s waist evoking a raged breath and sudden contraction of her the muscles there, exactly as she planned.

“Keep it like this. Keep it firm.” it didn’t sound as an advice or wish anymore. It sounded like an order.

_Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow._

Amélie ran a finger down along her spine, her nail digging into the skin, leaving a red line behind. Lena’s back jerked as she suddenly straightened, the taller woman giving her a pat on the shoulder.

“Good, it looks much better now. Let’s move to hands.”

She couldn’t resist the urge to run her palms over Lena’s exposed back all the way up to her shoulder blades and then moving them right to her biceps, lifting them up and bending them in the elbow. She was trailing her fingers all over her arms, teasing and watching the immediate response.

“This will work for now.” she announced as she turned to face Lena again.

The little brit was hardly breathing, her eyes shut tight, trying to concentrate even through Amélie’s inappropriate touching.

She squeaked loudly, when the French women pulled her close to herself, to fix their stance in the close proximity of each other.

“I hope you don’t mind if I take the lead for now.” she said taking Lena’s left palm and putting it near her shoulder, sneaking her own onto her shoulder blade. “Now find my biceps and grip on it. Lay the weight of your arm on me, don’t worry, I can take it.”

She grabbed her other hand squeezing her palm and pulling upwards. Then she took a step forward, connecting their bodies together.

She could feel Lena’s stomach rising erratically against her and she couldn’t stop another grin appearing on her face.

“I will start with the basic steps, don’t worry about anything, just feel the rhythm and answer to the way my body moves.”

Amélie started slowly, pushing her thigh against the smaller woman, brushing up against her, forcing her to make a step back. Than another one, pressing her thigh in between the brit’s legs, evoking a gasp and another step back. She gently pressed onto her back and into her hand as they did two quick steps together, standing in the way they started.

“You are a natural.”

They continued like this for what seemed like hours. The same set of steps, changing the direction, pacing through the hall.

Lena could hear the other woman whisper to the rhythm.

_Slow, slow, quick, quick,_

_slow, quick, quick, slow,_

_slow, slow, quick, quick, slow…_

*

It was dark outside, when they finally stopped.

Lena could see the droplets of sweat running down Amélie’s brow and neck, as she was trying to catch her breath. They parted slowly, since they’ve grown way to accustomed to each other’s bodies. There was a comfortable silence surrounding them as they gazed at one another.

It was Amélie who made the first step. In one quick movement she closed the distance between them again, cupping Lena’s face and capturing her lips with her own. Lena responded immediately, kissing her back and pulling her body even closer, putting her hands on the small of her back. Amélie grazed her teeth over her lower lip, biting playfully and swallowed the gasp that escaped Lena’s throat.

Amélie moved again, slamming the smaller woman against the wall as she started to nibble her way down her jawline to her neck and down to her collarbone, leaving dark marks behind in her trail. Lena grabbed a fistful of her hair, holding the French woman against herself, panting loudly and hissing every time she felt teeth sinking into her skin.

Amélie traced her now free hands down to Lena’s thighs, trailing her fingers along them, pulling her dress up to her hips. Lena pulled at her hair, making her lift her head as the brit kissed her again.  
They stayed like this for a few moments longer, in a close embrace.

Lena was the first one to gently pull away.

It was obvious that she wanted more, but Amélie also realized she wasn’t quite ready yet. She didn’t to push her. They had all the time in the world. There was no hurry.

She couldn’t resist giving the brit one last peck on the lips before letting go of her.

They didn’t say anything.

They didn’t really have to.

They parted ways silently, both heading to their homes alone.

It wasn’t until later in the night, when they got a text from Fareeha, informing them about Angela’s condition.


	8. The fire that burned too fast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another NSFW chapter ahead of you, so buckle up

They met again after that night in the ICU.

Lena blushed madly when she first saw Amélie approaching and had to look away to calm herself down, trying to completely ignore her presence, the memories of last night coming back. This wasn’t the right time. They came to see Angela, not to continue where they stopped yesterday.

Amélie offered her a sad smile, exhaustion visible on her face. She hasn’t slept all night. The fear for her best friend was suffocating her with tears and sobs every time she tried to doze into a peaceful sleep. Pills and alcohol were no help either.

They haven’t said anything, they just stood there in front of Angela’s room. It was harder for Amélie to enter, she knew Angela for much longer than Lena and they’ve became very close over the years. Amélie looked after the doctor’s schedule, making sure she ate properly, that she went to sleep every evening before midnight. Angela was there for her when Gérard wasn’t. She would gladly stay overnight keeping an eye on her when she felt lonely, when the empty house was scaring her.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. They’ve been through so much together, had so many memories. For a moment, it was just too much to bare.

*

They entered together when they heard Angela’s weak voice.

There was nothing to prepare them for what they saw. Angela was pale, her skin turning grey, covered with a thin layer of sweat. She had dark circles under her bloodied eyes and dozens of tubes coming from her… _hand_.

There was just empty space where her right hand used to be. Her shoulder and the little what was left of the actual arm was covered in bandages, blood visibly seeping through them.

They couldn’t tear their eyes away from it.

“You know,” she spoke all of sudden, her voice cracking. “It’s rather impolite to stare.”

Amélie surged forward, giving her a careful but firm hug, not letting her go for several minutes.

“I’m okay. It’s okay.” said Angela, gently caressing her raven hair and smiling softly at Lena over, who was still standing by the door, too stunned to do or say anything.

The dark marks on her neck and in her small cleavage immediately caught Angela’s eyes.

“It looks like someone has been having a lady over. I hope Fareeha didn’t interrupt you in some _tender_ moment.” she giggled.

Lena’s eyes went wide, her body still unable to move. Amélie suddenly stiffened in the embrace, not being able to breath for a moment. Angela’s mind was still fogged with all the painkillers she has been given, but this was way too obvious not to spot.

“You better be bloody kidding me…” she whispered, looking at Amélie, then at Lena and back to the French woman. “You two… Are a thing?” she started to chuckle her eyes still filled with surprise. “You know, there was nothing I wasn’t ready for, but this just might be the thing.”

*

They spend over two hours with her, until Fareeha came back to the room. They said their goodbyes, knowing that Angela is in good hands. The tension and fear that had built up throughout the night was gone. They knew now that Angela was stronger than this. She would make it through.

They were about to part ways when Lena spoke.

“I was wondering,” she started, scratching her nape, looking at her feet. “If you could stop by my flat tonight. We could watch a movie, have some dinner…”

“Yes. I’ll be there.” she answered and pulled Lena into a short but fierce kiss. “I’m looking forward to it.” she whispered into her ear and left her standing there awkwardly, flushed and trying to find her heartbeat again.

*

Amélie went straight to her home and fell asleep the very moment she lied down onto the bed. She needed rest more than anything, knowing now that Angela is safe and sound and that everything would be okay.

She woke late in the afternoon, taking a long shower and washing her hair with that shampoo that went perfectly with her perfume and she kept in store for special occasions. She then dug into her closet, trying to find the perfect clothes for the evening.

She wanted to see Lena completely taken away by the way she looked, but she also didn’t want to give the poor girl a heart attack. She took a quick glance at her collection of lingerie, but put that away for later _visits_. She ended up with a simple white butt up shirt and grey pants that showed of her beautiful figure. Before she left she picked up one bottle of her finest wine, putting in a gift bag and left the house.

*

Lena wanted everything to be perfect.

She cleaned her flat twice just to make sure that Amélie would feel like home. For Lena, this was supposed to be like a slumber party. She made nutella pancakes, popcorn for the movie and other treats to enjoy during the evening.

She put on comfortable shorts and her pyjama tank top, absolutely oblivious to what Amélie had in mind for them.

*

Amélie breathed in one last time before knocking on the door.

When Lena emerged from her flat, Amélie couldn’t stop the little chuckle escaping her mouth

_A bit of a misunderstanding…_

They gapped at each other, admiring and loaning for any kind of contact all of sudden. It took a great deal of self-control from both of them not to assault each other right then and there.

Amélie made a small step closer, offering a little peck on the lips, before being let into the flat.

*

Of course the movie Lena picked was about dancing.

Amélie appreciated the gesture more than she let to show, a strange force tug at her heart.

_Gérard never wanted to watch those things… Too ‘girly’ for him…_

And here was this young girl, who barely knew her for two months. Amélie knew that this wasn’t just a physical attraction that was going on between them. She was always so jolly and happy and energetic, always cheering everyone up.

Amélie knew she was falling for her.

They managed to sit calmly throughout the entire movie, without a single touch, without a single slip. They laughed together at the jokes, admired the dancing skills of the actors, both sobbing at the sad ending. When the movie ended, neither of them knew what to do next.

“Are you hungry?” Lena asked, about to get up and get more food for them.

“Yes, very much in fact.” Amélie smirked catching Lena hand in hers and pulling her back onto the sofa.

“Great!” Lena’s voice jumped one octave higher when she felt her fingers creeping up her thigh. “I made pancakes!”

“Mhm, I had something bit different in mind…” Amélie whispered into her ear and in one single elegant motion straddled the brit’s lap.

_Don’t rush it._

She cupped her face gently, giving Lena plenty of space to rip her hands of. She didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable. But the smell of her of her shampoo and the slightest trace of floral perfume was intoxicating. It was driving her crazy to sit idly by, not being able to touch her.

She didn’t push her away.

She wasn’t even blushing anymore. The strong sweet wine they were drinking got into her system. She wasn’t so shy anymore.

Amélie could feel her cold hand sneaking around her hips, to the small of her back, barely above the hem of her pants. She was drawing small circles there, moving her fingers up and under her shirt, scratching and caressing every inch of the skin she could reach right now.

Lena was smiling. There was a cocky grin on her face. And Amélie had every intention to get rid of it by the end of evening.

She kissed her slowly, savouring every second of it. She brushed her tongue along Lena’s lips, the brit opening her mouth for her and gasping loudly when she felt her taking the invitation. Amélie’s breathing became heavy as she started to move her hips in her lap, not being able to stop herself anymore. She bit her lip before pulling away for air, panting quietly.

Lena took the chance, entangling her fingers through her ponytail and pulling down forcefully, exposing the French woman’ neck to her as she grazed her teeth along her throat, soothing each bite with a gentle kiss. Amélie was gripping on her shoulders, trying to find balance, closing her eyes.

Lena didn’t stop there.

She held Amélie with her other hand in a tight embrace, pulling closer, as she started to trail open-mouthed kisses along her collarbones and down into her cleavage. She was forced to let go of her grip on Amélie’s hair, freeing the other woman, so she could unbutton her shirt.

She glanced at her for a second for approval and when Amélie nodded positioning herself to make the job easier, she started to pop un button at a time with agonizingly slow pace. When she finally reached Amélie’s chest she had to stop.

The French woman wasn’t wearing anything under it. There was nothing but bare skin under her shirt. She swallowed audibly, not being able to move a muscle. Amélie had to grin to herself. Her plan had the exact effect she expected.

But she couldn’t have expected what Lena was about to do next. Amélie didn’t know where the sudden strength came from, but she could feel a pair of hands grabbing her by the back of her thighs as she was suddenly swung into air. Lena turned around and slammed her back into sofa, immediately climbing over her, lying on top of her as she felt Amélie’s long legs creeping along her hips and locking behind her back.

_Don’t rush it…_

Amélie wanted to pull her down and kiss her breathless, but she saw the sudden hesitation in Lena’s face. As if she had just realized what they were doing. Amélie took her hand in hers, her thumb drawing small, ensuring circles into her skin.

Lena melted into her, nuzzling her face in the crook of her neck, nibbling at her earlobe, breathing right into her ear and sending shivers down her spine. She could feel Amélie’s arms holding her close as well as her heavy breathing.

She slipped one hand in between them and started to unbutton the rest of her shirt. It was in the moment she touched the place where her ribs met her belly when she heard Amélie _moan_. Lena took a quick glance at the woman under her; her eyes were close shut, cheeks red a chest heaving, her hips slowly rolling into her.

She couldn’t resist the urge to dip her head down and kiss the spot under her breast. Amélie’s hips buckled up as another moan escaped her lips. Every single soft touch was making her crazy. Lena was sure that Amélie was falling apart under her just from those simple kisses.

She stopped and got herself a loud, frustrated groan as a response.

She started to giggle at the sound, however quickly realized how big of mistake that was. Amélie swallowed her laugh in another breath-taking kiss, crushing their lips together as they fought for dominance.

Lena torn herself away for single moment, pulling away from Amélie’s grasp, to finally open her shirt. She had to stop herself there and admire the toned muscles of her abdomen, her gaze falling on her breasts that remained untouched until that very moment.

She lowered her head, brushing her lips over the soft flesh, inhaling he scent. She could hear Amélie’s fast heartbeat when she grazed her teeth over her erected nipple, cupping the other breast in her hands. She stopped again, pulling away from the French woman and awaking her from her trance.

“Hey, hey, hey…” Amélie soothed her, stroking her hair softly. “Are you okay?”

Lena nodded, sitting up, not meeting her gaze, her eyes wide.

“We are going too fast, aren’t we…”?

Another nod.

“Lena, it’s okay. You don’t have to do anything you don’t feel like doing, you know that, right?” Amélie said, quickly buttoning her shirt up. She saw the discomfort on Lena’s face, but there was something else that stopped her.

It was guilt.

The smaller girl suddenly stood up and ran away to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Amélie closed her eyes, hiding her face in her hands. She should’ve realized sooner. This wasn’t just about rushing. It was about Gérard. She got up and leaned on the side of the door. Muffled sobs were coming from the bedroom; she was choking on them.

“Lena… We are getting a divorce. Me and Gérard, it is over. It has been for several months. We just weren’t ready to admit that to one another. Or to other people.”

There was a sudden silence.

“I should have told you that before anything happened. If it is too uncomfortable for you, we don’t have to see each other again, I understand you know Gérard for much longer and that you two are…” she was interrupted by the door that swung open and Lena surging up to kiss her. The little brit punched her in the chest gently, more desperate than angry, pulling her close.

“I’m sorry, ma chérie… I really am.” she said, holding her in her arms. “I have a proposal. We start fresh. We make this right, we make into a real relationship, not just make out sessions. What do you say to that?”

“I think I would like that very much…” Lena admitted, breathing into her chest.

“So, how about a date tomorrow night?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started writing this piece I thought it would be 10k words tops… Well, oops. I guess you won’t mind some domestic fluff now, will you?
> 
> If you have any suggestions or prompts, please, send them to me here or to my tumblr: heamiky.tumblr.com
> 
> Also, I had one crazy idea that I will probably make into reality within the next week or two. It will be one-shot – Widowtracer AU based on the movie Room in Rome. So there will be more sin you might enjoy in the future. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and will continue to enjoy this fic.


	9. The time they both needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit NSFW-ish, but not even close to the last ones

“So you want to tell me, that she ran away _crying_?” Angela asked, putting a fair amount of emphasis on the word ‘crying’.

Amélie sunk lower in her chair, pouting.

“Yes.” she answered after a while.

“Do you understand that if I had my right hand with I would probably slap you?”

“Very much so.” she said, defeat in her voice. “I messed up. I know that. You don’t have to remind me over and over again.”

Amélie came to visit Angela in the hospital when the doctor personally called and asked her to do so. For one she needed an excuse for Fareeha to finally leave her side and have some good night sleep and she also wanted to know everything about what happened between Lena and Amélie when she was gone.

The French woman realized very soon into the visit that Angela had turned on her mother-like protective personality and that she was about get scolded for four long hours.

“She is twenty years old.”

“I know.”

“You are twenty-seven.”

“I’m rather aware, thank you for reminding me though.” Amélie growled with a certain amount of sarcasm that was building inside of her for the past twenty minutes and which she wasn’t able to hide anymore.

“Do you know how stupid this is? And how cruel? To both of you. You haven’t even filled the papers for your divorce. Amélie, you are a grown up woman, Lena is practically still a teen…” Angela continued on with the scolding, but got interrupted midsentence.

“I’m in love with her.” she said, her jaw clenched and her eyes staring at wall right in front of her.

“I thought…”

“You thought I was just playing around with her. You jump to conclusions way to fast, Angela.” she continued sinking deeper into the chair. “If you called me here only to yell at me, then I will go. I feel guilty enough. I don’t have to listen to this.”

Angela was silent for second, realizing that her friend was there for her when she was pretty much in the same situation with the young Amari and that she never doubted her intentions with Fareeha, the way Angela had just now.

“I’m sorry.” she whispered.

“It’s okay.” Amélie turned to face her. “I’m not saying you’re wrong. I just don’t need to hear it right now. But if I break her heart, you can slap me and I won’t hold a grudge.”

“That sounds like a reasonable deal.” Angela laughed, smile returning to her face. “So what’s your plan for tonight?”

“We’ll go to see a movie, most likely making out through the whole thing and no, before you start again, I asked Lena and she said that is absolutely okay. The biggest problem for her was my marriage.” she huffed, continuing. “Then some early dinner and I might show her the dancing centre nearby.”

“Why don’t you go to your studio, you don’t have to pay anything for… Oh, okay, I get it now. It’s public. No inappropriate stuff.”

Amélie just nodded hoping that Lena would like what she had planned for them.

*

Amélie let Lena pick out the movie they we about to _not_ see, since nothing the cinema offered caught her eye. As she expected, Lena picked one of those superhero films, but to her surprise she picked out seats in the very last row and in the very corner, a smug appearing on her face, when she saw Amélie’s reaction to her choice.

They were about half through the movie, Amélie completely lost in the superhero nicknames, never knowing who is who and confusing one abnormally beefy man with another one, when she felt a hand creeping up her thigh.

She turned her head around slowly, looking at Lena, who had a shining smile on her face and something that looked like a blush in the dim light of the movie theatre. Amélie intervened their fingers together, squeezing gently and paying attention to the flashes appearing on Lena’s hazelnut eyes. Her face was far more interesting than what was happening on the screen.

Lena caught her staring, and giggled audibly.

There was a moment when they just stared into each other’s eyes as their smiles fell all of sudden only to be replaced by something different and very similar to lust. Lena leaned in slowly, cupping Amélie’s cheek and kissing her at agonizingly slow pace, barely parting her lips and letting her tongue lick into Amélie’s mouth.

Luckily for Amélie there was a loud scene with shots and explosions on the screen, so no one could hear her loud gasping for air, when Lena pulled away for a fraction of a second. She could feel the brit’s fingers untangling from hers, followed by a firm squeeze on her thigh.

_Slowly, she said…_

Before she could gather herself up, Lena was at her neck, biting in the tender skin there and without any doubt leaving visible marks. She continued nibbling up to her jawline, pushing her head up and creeping her hand to the inside of her thigh, trailing the fingers over the barely covered flesh.

_I’m going to lose my mind before the night is over… This is how I die, I’m bloody sure of that…_

Lena moved up to her ear, sucking at her earlobe before nipping at it. Her fingers were dangerously close to where Amélie wanted them to be, but this was not exactly the place for such an _activity._ She gripped at the brit’s hand, keeping it in place, before she could move it any higher.

_She was drinking something before she went here, I swear…_

Lena did let go of her ear as well as the groping, sat back comfortably in her seat and continued to watch the movie as if nothing happened, leaving Amélie panting and very confused.

*

“I’m sorry about the hickey.” Lena said, smiling apologetically through her burrito.

“I don’t think you are sorry at all, in fact.” Amélie laughed, touching the place, where Lena kept on biting her throughout the entire movie. “Also, I don’t think this monster can be classified as hickey. If Angela saw this, she would probably send me to surgery screaming something about the _high chance of blood clot_.” she continued, impersonating the doctor.

Lena looked away sheepishly, hiding her blush behind her food.

“I forgot to tell you something, love. Torbjörn came back from Russia last night. When he found out about the stress tests and how the entire crew ended up in the hospital, he immediately fired the entire team responsible. Every single one of them. It was a bloody epic scene to watch. I’ve never heard the guy scream at someone. At one moment, he was even scarier than Angela.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear this.” Amélie admitted. “I was so scared that you might get hurt again if you got back on the tests. It’s in less than ten days, right?”

“Yep, I have to go back, but it’s mostly for training. Just six hours a day. But Torbjörn promised to me that I won’t be leaving the base here in London. I’m not going anywhere.”

Amélie smiled, put her food down and leaned over to the table to kiss the surprised little brit sitting in front of her.


	10. The night she stayed over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so weak, I literally didn't last a single day before I finally wrote this.  
> A very NSFW chapter ahead of you, better be ready.

They went out like this pretty much every single night, for six weeks.

Amélie showed Lena the dancing centre and they started attending classes together twice a week. That month was focused on jive and quickstep, both quick and energetic dances that fit Lena’s personality just perfectly. She enjoyed the fast movement and the fact she didn’t have to swing her hips in a seductive way. She was good at that though, but she was way too shy to show it.

Quickstep was bit harder for her, too precise, especially when she had to focus on what part of the foot she was stepping on, trying to bounce her way through the rhythm. However, Amélie was a patient partner, who didn’t mind when _someone_ stepped on her toes. She already knew everything that they were teaching in course, since ballroom dancing was he favourite hobby back in France, but she wanted to dance with Lena and she encouraged her every step of the way.

There were nights when Lena invited Amélie over to watch movies together, knowing all too well how lonely the French woman was and how she hated to stay alone in her house. They would usually end up on Lena’s couch, making out and cuddling, until they would doze into a comfortable sleep, feeling safe in each other’s arms.

*

Amélie though it was one of those night, when she got the text that read: ‘Come over tonight and wear something fancy, but not too fancy.’

It left her bit confused, wondering if Lena didn’t try to pick out a play in one of the smaller theatres in London and this was supposed to be an invitation to it.

She picked a tuxedo from her closet, that she never got to wear before. It was very comfortable, yet stylish and it would fit anything Lena was about to throw at her. She was also aware of Lena’s weakness for ties and she couldn’t resist to tease her with it.

*

She came fashionably late, giving Lena extra fifteen minutes to prepare for whatever she had in mind.

When she knocked on the door, she heard a loud: ‘It’s open!’ from within the flat and she entered.

What she saw took her breath away in a single second. Every surface of the flat was covered with burning candles, their rose scent filling the room. Lena was standing on the other side of the room, near the dining table, that was now full of homemade food and other goods. Lena herself was wearing the dark green dress that Amélie gave her a more than a month ago and that she never wore again after their last private dancing lesson.

Everything was _perfect_.

Amélie leaned against the door in awe, never expecting something like this, when she got out of her car downstairs. Lena came across the room, her walk suddenly elegant even though she was wearing heels, that she hated so much.

“Are you okay, love? You look like you’re about to pass out.” she said, gently cradling her face, fingers caressing her skin.

Amélie held onto her hands, feeling a bit dizzy in fact.

“I am just stunned. I don’t really have words to describe it…” she admitted, looking into the cheerful eyes.

“That’s okay, love. I just hope that you’re hungry.”

“I’m starving.”

*

The food was delicious.

Amélie had been taken away by every single dish and she almost didn’t believe that Lena made it all herself, until she saw her red hands and a tiny burn on her skin, that most likely came from a hot oil spluttering from the pan.

They had dined for nearly two hours, eating only small portions, never becoming too full for it to be uncomfortable. They drank a different wine with each course, fitting perfectly with the taste of the food.

“There is one last course.” Lena announced with pride, getting up from her chair to get it. “But,” she paused her walk right behind Amélie, putting her hands on her shoulders. “I was hoping we could it eat later. After the _dessert_.” she finished, lowering her head and kissing right at Amélie’s pulse point, biting gently. The unexpected contact sent shivers down Amelie’s spine, as she tried to calm herself down by clutching to the table.

She nodded erratically, and was about to get up, when Lena crushed their lips together, tugging at her lower lip and groaning into her mouth. She got a firm grip on her tie and pulled the French woman closer, letting her lips go in favour of trailing soft kisses all over the exposed skin of her neck, leaving Amélie panting and gasping for air.

She stopped for a second to put her lips onto the shell of Amélie’s ear, asking playfully.

“Couch?”

“Bed. _Now_.”

Amélie finally freed herself and in one quick motion and she was towering over the smaller woman with an animalistic look in her face. Lena pulled her by her arm and tried to navigate the two of them through her flat, while Amélie was groping her and tugging at her dress. They managed to get through the door without any injury, Amélie positioning herself so that she could throw Lena on the bed and do anything she wanted to do to her for so long. To her surprise it was her who was suddenly flying through the air, falling on her back into the soft mattress.

Lena was slowly crawling up to her, savouring every second she was feeling in power over her lover. She pushed Amélie’s legs apart, continuing to move towards her, spreading her thighs even further and settling herself in between them.

There was another fierce kiss, all the built up tension coming up to the surface in one single moment. Amélie was instantly pulling the fabric of her dress up, exposing her skin all the way up to her back as she started to drag her nails along the hem of her underwear, her impatience showing more and more.

Lena swiftly took of her tie and started to descend down her torso, unbuttoning each button with a soft pop, kissing at her collarbones and the swell of her bare breasts. The moment she touched the spot under her ribcage, loud groan escaped Amélie’s parted lips and her hands gripped tight at Lena’s back, nails digging deep into the flesh.

Lena chuckled softly, undoing the rest of the shirts and discarding it onto the pile next to her bed. She took a moment to admire the toned muscles of her abdomen as well as the arms that were clutching on to her so tightly. She lowered her head again, putting her lips to Amélie’s stomach, taking her time to explore every single inch of it, listening to Amélie’s moaning that grew louder and more desperate with each touch.

She could feel her hips rolling into her, trying to find the friction she yearned for. Lena gasped, when started tugging aggressively at her dress almost ripping it in the process. She gave in soon after, finally sneaking her palm under them hem of her pants, getting a loud moan from her lover.

She moved her fingers through her folds gently, watching the way Amélie’s back arched, as her hips jerked up, her eyes falling shut and lips parted, bare chest heaving.

She lowered herself, capturing Amélie’s mouth into hers, swallowing every single noise she made, kissing her shaking lips breathless and slipping one finger into her. Before she knew it, Améie was coming undone under her, grasping at her messed up hair, buckling her hips erratically.

Her body finally relaxed, falling back into the mattress, letting Lena go from grasp. The brit laid next to her, trailing her fingers over her flushed cheeks, smiling to herself.

“Good?” she asked with a cheerful tone in her voice.

“ _Perfect_.”

*

They did rest for a while, until Amélie skilfully flipped Lena onto her back, straddling her lap.

“Bit impatient, aren’t we?” Lena joked, right before Amélie pulled the straps of her dress down her shoulders, pushing the fabric all the way down and throwing it away, quickly slipping from her own pants.

She wasn’t rushing the way Lena did. She wanted to savour every moment, remember every single detail. She laid flat against her, kissing the spot in between her breasts, gently tugging at the straps of herbra, pulling them down eventually. She discarded of it, lowering her head to one of her nipples, sucking it into her mouth, grazing her teeth over it, making Lena quiver under her, loud cries coming out from her lips. She kept on dragging her palm over the other one, teasing, watching Lena struggle to keep herself quiet.

It was soon, way too soon for liking, when Lena started to _beg_ her to finish what she had started. Amélie didn’t listen to her right away, exploring her body, leaving dark marks all over her belly. When Lena took a fistful of her hair and _tugged_ forcefully, urging her, she finally moved her head down, nibbling at the inside of her thighs, making Lena quiver and groan in response.

She took mercy on her, getting rid of the underwear that was in her way and finally putting her mouth right where Lena needed her, darting her tongue out and moving it through her slick folds.

Amélie could hear her moaning her own name, before her thighs closed around her ears, hips curling against her, as she tumbled over the edge.

 _Too fast, too soon…_ Amélie though to herself, watching Lena’s body fall apart under her touch. _But the night is still young._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's two in the morning. I'm finally going to sleep. Have a good night everyone.


	11. The call in the night

“Who would have thought, that Amélie Lacroix turns into a cuddly kitten in the morning?” Lena giggled, when she felt a hand sneaking over her hips and fingers entangling with hers.

Amélie, still half asleep, was lying behind her, the full length of her body pressed into Lena’s back. She growled something in response, pulling the smaller girl even closer a nuzzling her face into her messy hair.

“Hun, do you understand, that I was supposed to get up twenty minutes ago?” Lena reminded her, trying to free herself from the grasps of her sleepy girlfriend.

“They can wait…” Amélie whispered, her eyes still shut.

“I have training today!”

“No you don’t, it’s Sunday…”

“I told you they had to postpone it.”

“I don’t recall…”

“But that doesn’t mean that I can stay with you right now!” Lena squealed, when she finally fell of the bed, chest heaving as if she just won a wrestling match. She immediately picked herself up and ran to her living room to change and get her bag.

Amélie raised her head, pushing her dishevelled back and searching for the little brit, that just left her side. Lena was running around the flat, picking up things, trying to fit her legs into her jeans, looking like a confused gazelle.

Amélie chuckled at the sight and lied back into the pillows. She wasn’t able to understand where the energy came from, since they got only few hours of sleep.

“Why don’t you tell them that you were already exercising vigorously all night long?” she shouted at her, just barely catching the sight of Lena as she ran back into the bedroom.

“Yeah, sure, good idea. It’s not like they aren’t making fun of me every time they see a hickey on my neck and that’s practically all the time anyway.” she giggled, although sounding a bit more serious than usual. She leaned over Amélie, giving her one short kiss before leaving.

“So you want to tell me,” Amélie grinned, stopping Lena by the door. “That you would rather go to that beardy old grandpa to do some training, then stay with this?” she continued, _accidentally_ letting the bedsheet slip down her body and giving Lena a view of her lifetime.

She could see the little brit stop in her tracks, biting her lip, trying to reason with herself, starring at the bare, inviting chest of her girlfriend. She finally tore her eyes away from the naked woman in front of her and turned herself around.

“I’m sorry, love! But I’ll be back before eight, see ya!” she yelled as she ran out of the door.

“I’m feeling really insulted by the way!” Amélie shouted behind her, but it was no good, Lena was long gone. She let her body fall back into the mattress and soon she dosed back into a soundless sleep, cuddling up to the pillow that Lena left behind.

*

She would give anything to stay back at Lena’s place, but there was a certain matter she had to settle, that kept creeping up in the back of her mind. She did everything to push it back where it came from, but it was no good. It was the right time.

It was now or never.

She went straight back to her house, looking for a particular file of papers, that she hid away from her eyesight more than a year ago. Painful memories rolling in front of her eyes, she bit her lip until she drew blood, searching. She was hoping she would never get to see it again, that it would remain hidden forever. But this wasn’t just about her anymore. She had to protect Lena as well now.

She held the detailed paperwork concerning her divorce, that she kept for so long, in her shaky hands.

She took a bottle of top-notch whisky, sat down by the dining table, staring right at the stash of papers. She didn’t feel anything in the moment, when she signed the line, confirming what was written in the text above it. There was just emptiness in her head, every emotion leaving her body. She didn’t want to think about him or the memories they made, when they were still happy. The last bit of hope left her, as the ink of her signature dried of.

_Just a formality… This marriage ended a year ago. Maybe even sooner._

She packed everything into a fresh envelope, sealing it and leaving in on the counter to be taken away later. The papers could stay with her lawyer until Gérard’s return.

She went back to the bottle, taking a large gulp, enjoying the burning sensation it sent through her throat.

There was a moment, when she held her phone in her hand, about to call Angela. The doctor’s voice and presence always calmed her, when she was losing her mind. But Angela had more important things to do. She had to recover from her wound, prepare herself for getting a new, prosthetic arm. She still had to tend to her patients. She had Fareeha now. She didn’t have the time to listen to her sobbing on the phone. It was stupid problem anyway.

She did what she always had. She just sat there for the rest of the evening, long into the night, finishing the bottle and falling asleep on the floor.

*

Amélie spent every night at Lena’s place after that.

She wanted keep her close, hiding in her arms every evening and waking up to a bright smile the next morning. She cooked for her whenever she could, knowing Lena’s terrible eating habits. Now, when she was on the special training programme, she needed the care more than ever. The brit always waved her of, but took the food with her anyway.

*

It happened one night, when they were lying on the couch, their limbs entangled, both of them slowly dozing off. A loud ringtone ripped through the air, waking them both up, as they sat up, both very much confused.

“Yours?” Lena asked, yawning.

“Yeah. But no one calls me that late in the night.” she murmured, standing up and walking over to the phone, picking it up.

“What’s up, Angela?” she asked, her mind still hazed with sleep.

“Amélie, Morrison called an hour ago. The team from Russia is coming home. _Gérard_ is coming home.”


	12. The crashing

They sat in silence all the way back home.

Neither of them spoke a single world ever since they said their greetings back at the base, the tension building between them becoming more overwhelming with each second passing.

It was one of the most awkward moment in their lives. They could feel the eyes of the entire crew watching them, knowing that couple was about crumble apart. She wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

She knew this wasn’t the right time to bring this up. Gérard just came home from a mission that was over three months long. The exhaustion was plain in his face. However, he knew exactly, what was about to happen. He just wanted Amélie to rip of the bandage and end it swiftly. No more dancing around, no more pretending. No more pain.

“I filled the papers.”

And there it was. A simple sentence cutting through the deafening silence. He was almost glad, that she finally said it out loud.

“Yeah, I know.” he nodded with a blank expression on his face.

They were staring at each other with pain in their eyes; Amélie leaning on the counter, Gérard sitting on the couch.

“Do you think that we ever had a shot?” he asked, his voice barely audible.

The anger that was building inside of her for past six years started to bubble again. She wanted to yell at him, scream exactly why they never had a shot at happiness or a stable marriage. She just inhaled deeply, staying calm for the moment.

“We were doomed from the beginning.” she said, and the words cut deep into his soul.

“Why did you stay with me, then?”

Something _broke_ in her and her eyes started to water.

“Because I _loved_ you.” her voice cracked midsentence, no matter how much she needed it to sound sure and steady.

“ _Loved_ me? Past tense? That’s cold even from you, Amélie.” he remarked with that sarcastic tone that she hated so much.

That was it. A single sentence sent her over the chasm between her pent up rage and her cold, distant approach to her ex-husband. Tears burst out of her eyes, jawline clenching tight.

“Cold?! Tell me Gérard, how was I supposed to keep on loving someone that was gone every single time I needed him?! Someone who disappeared in the night without a note?! You could have at least fucking texted me on the way! I _know_ you can keep your phones on you! So tell me Gérard! How?!” she didn’t hold back anymore. She wanted to hurt him, she wanted to make him feel the pain she had to go through. And it was working.

“You think that it wasn’t hard on me or what?!” he screamed back at her.

“I never said it wasn’t. But you had you close ones always with you! Your Overwatch buddies, coming with you everywhere! I had no one. I left them all behind so that I could chase some dream life with you! The only friend I have is Angela! And she was always gone as well! Do you understand, how lonely I was every time you left?”

“You didn’t have to leave France for me.” he stated, calming down again.

“I _didn’t_?! Are you fucking kidding me, Gérard?! If I stayed in France I would never see you again! You wouldn’t even have the time to come back and visit me! You would have been too occupied with your work, you wouldn’t have wasted your precious time on your wife! And do you want to know what’s the saddest part? That your fucking superior, the Captain Ana Amari herself, asked me if I was okay more often than you ever did…”

He knew that she was right. He felt it in his bones. It was too painful to bare, he had to fight back, justify himself somehow.

“You knew you were marrying a solider.”

“Yeah, I did. At that time, I was marrying a solider. What I didn’t know was that you were completely absorbed by your job. You stopped caring about me soon after the war with Talon started. That was four years ago… You were married to your job before you even met me, Gérard.”

Silence fell upon them, Amélie whipping her tears and Gérard hiding his. It was exactly like a year ago. But this time nothing was going to fix this.

“I don’t want to argue anymore. I don’t want this to be the last memory of us together.” Amélie said, picking up her car keys. “I will sleep in a hotel tonight.”

“Amélie, you don’t have to...”

“No, I do, Gérard. It will better this way. I will come pick up some things when you leave in the morning. Let’s solve this like adults. Sign the papers, please.” she whispered, fighting back sobs. She reached for her hand, pulling the engagement ring down from her finger a putting him on the counter, before she ran out of the house, leaving Gérard behind.

*

She lied.

She wasn’t going to a hotel. She wasn’t even going back to Lena’s place.

There was a bar she went to every night after a successful show, back then when she was still working for the local theatre. The other dancers that she used to work with didn’t particularly like her and they didn’t even try to hide it. They pushed her away. So she would leave right after the performance, coming here and getting drunk on her own, surrounded by the comfortable dim light and peaceful chatter.

She slipped in the box at very back of the establishment, hidden away from curious faces, she sunk into cushioning.

“How may I serve you today?” the cheerful, older bartender was always a pleasant sight. It that moment he reminded of Lena, her laugh, her smile, the way her tongue used to dart out when she was focused… But she didn’t want to think about Lena. Not there. Not like this.

She gave him pretty much every single banknote she had in her purse.

“Your finest whiskey. Bring the bottle.”

He just quickly went through the money in his hands, knowing she overpaid him.

“I’ll be right back, m’lady.”

And so she sat there. Like many nights before, all alone, accompanied by a bottle. She could hear her phone buzzing in her purse, but she completely ignored it. She just kept on drinking. Staring into the empty seat in front of her, thinking, becoming more and more numb.

*

History was about to repeat itself.

Amélie got into the car drunk, barely able to turn the keys in the ignition.

She only got two blocks away from the bar, when she missed the red light shining above her, getting hit by truck speeding through the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you didn't think that the angst was over...


	13. The one who came back

She could feel her body getting crushed.

The force of the hit thrown her against the window, dull pain spreading through her skull. Everything was in slow motion, she could see every single shard of the shattered glass flying through the air, every single bit of metal being pushed into her side, getting closer and closer until she was suffocating on her own blood, hearing her bones crack under the immense pressure.

The car was rolling over, as the trucked thrusted into it. There was a single second of total silence, before she was falling back onto her side, screaming with pain. She was stuck between being awake and sweet unconsciousness, barely able to hear a soft fizzle of the motor liquids pouring out and flowing right across her bare shoulders.

She felt only a sharp sting of pain, when it touched her skin, burning deep into her flesh, before the world fell into darkness in front of her.

*

She was surrounded by the dim light of the medical bay when she finally woke up.

She couldn’t quite pull herself back to reality, keeping herself anchored in the present, not slipping back into the comfortable silence. The rather loud beeping of several pieces of medical equipment that she couldn’t quite recognize, the white painted walls that were always way too shiny; she was already familiar with this room.

There was a gentle tug on her arm and she tried to turn her head around to see, what or who was holding her hand.

Angela was sitting next to her, eyes closed shut, lips barely parted, as she was sleeping soundly, her chest raising and falling in a slow, but still tempo. The dark circles under her eyes, messed up ponytail and white scrubs with several blood stain on them were telling her the story of what was happening since she fell unconscious.

Amélie felt the guilt and shame surging through her like an arrow, when she saw the doctor so exhausted, that she fell asleep next to her. She turned her head towards the window, biting her lip to push away the tears that suddenly sprung from her eyes, holding the sobs daring to escape her lips from deep inside of her.

When the doctor fell the slightest shift of the patient lying next to her, she tore her eyes open, jumping from the uncomfortable chair, fully awake in mere milliseconds.

Her eyes softened, expression relaxing when she saw that Amélie was awake.

“Hey there.” she whispered, her voice harsh from the sore throat.

Amélie gave up the fight, letting out a first loud sob and turning her head around to face the worried doctor. Angela sat on the bed beside her, opening her arms and letting Amélie to cuddle up to her, gently patting her or her head.

“It’s okay. You are okay.” she kept on repeating.

“Angela, I’m so sorry… I…”

“Hey, don’t worry about anything right now, okay? You need sleep. You need to rest. Everything is going to be okay, you’re just a bit disoriented and confused and emotional. It will fade away, I promise. Tell me, how is your pain?”

She didn’t know. She barely felt anything in the moment, except of the burning inside of her lungs and a dull pressure from inside of her skull.

“You are already on loads of painkillers, so you might not feel much. Just try to relax and go to sleep again.” she said gently, stroking her hair to calm her down slowly.

“Will you stay with me?”

“As long as you’ll need me.”

*

When she woke up again, the sun was setting down and night was falling on the city behind the glass.

Everything was a bit different this time. Angela must have turned down the dose of her meds, because she felt every single part of her body ache. She could hear her own blood thumping in her head a migraine starting to show itself, her chest was of on fire and so were her shoulders.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Angela probably had some good night sleep herself, she looked rested, her hair freshly washed and scrubs were exchanged for a grey skirt and her usual white shirt, covered by her lab coat.

Amélie just smiled weakly, not being able to form words just yet. Angela walked around her bed, getting the clipboard and checking the status of every monitor there was on her. She scribbled something down, before she sat back into the chair, that she fell asleep in last night.

“On a scale of one to ten…” she started her questionnaire, but was immediately interrupted.

“Eight.” Amélie panted, barely able to speak.

“That’s too much. Your body temperature is getting way too high, too.” Angela jumped up, pushed several buttons and waited for a few minutes, her eyes carefully scanning her body response as well as her monitors.

Amélie relaxed a bit, her chest still heaving, her skin covered with a slick layer of sweat, her head falling back into the pillows.

“Better?” Angela asked before sitting down again.

“Much better.” her voice was still weak, but it felt steady again.

“Do you remember what happened?”

“More than I would want to.”

If it was anyone else lying in the hospital bed, she would’ve pried more. But this was sufficient enough.

“Something is not right.” Amélie said, looking carefully at the doctor. “Your… _Arms_.”

“Not bad Amélie. You are pretty observant, considering that you had a concussion. But,” she started, pulling of her gloves and revealing her new, robotic arm underneath. “There is an explanation for that. You are not dreaming. You are fully awake.”

“It looks good on you.”

“Well, thank you. I’m starting to like it myself.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, before Amélie spoke again.

“How long was I…?”

“Out? More than three days.”

“I meant _gone_.”

Something in Angela’s face hardened, as if she was pushing the events of past few days away from her mind, _disconnecting_ from them. Amélie saw her do that pretty much every time someone close to her got hurt. She started to play the part of the brave one, hiding her real feelings behind a smiley, cheerful mask, until someone pulled her back into the reality and made her think about she didn’t want to think about.

This was one of those moments.

“Eighty-six second, approximately.” she had to turn her face away from Amélie, looking out of the window and into the sunset. “They carved you out of the wreck of your car, but you were barely alive at that point. Chest crushed, you were bleeding out in front of them. So they got you into an ambulance and drove here as fast as they could. You _died_ on the way here.” her voiced broke down, as the mask she put on started to crumble apart. “They kept your blood flow for a minute longer, trying to pump you with as much oxygen as they could. They gave us a heads up, we had everything ready, when they arrived. We had to _bring_ you back.” her eyes started to water, tears coming down her cheeks. “Your heart kicked back in, most of the damage done to your internal organs gone. But there was still around eight hours of surgery ahead of you. We lost you _twice_ during that. But you made it through…”

“Angela…”

“Don’t. Don’t you fucking dare right now. I watched you die three times in the past four days. What the hell were you thinking, getting in that car?!” she yelled at her, surging up from her chair.

“I don’t know.”

Angela realized what she was just doing, she whipped the tears from her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself, at least for now.

“This entire procedure, it shortened your lifespan for about ten years, Amélie. You still have three broken ribs, a mild concussion and a third-degree burn on you shoulder. We’ll let that heal properly, naturally. It will take…”

“Angela?” she asked, staring blankly into the wall in front of her.

“Yes?”

“Did I hurt someone?”

She was expecting this question from the moment she saw her waking up. In different circumstances, she would have barked some sarcastic remark, but considering the condition Amélie was in and the fact, she was already feeling guilty enough, she answered calmly.

“No one got hurt in the accident. The truck that hit you got bit damaged, but the driver was okay, not even a bruise. I talked to Morrison about it, Overwatch will take care of the legal charges. But they took away you driving license, thank God.”

As she was speaking, Amélie’s face lighten up a bit, it was almost impossible to see, but she caught her.

“Also, someone is rather eager to see you.” Angela mentioned, not even trying to hide the smile. “Lena has been here since they brought you here, sleeping outside of the room. Fareeha took her away about an hour ago, so I guess that she probably stuffing her into a shower right now. When they come back, I will let Lena in. Is that okay with you?”

Amélie’s eyes got all watery all of sudden as she nodded.

“Absolutely.”

*

Angela did as she promised.

When she saw Lena basically _sprinting_ back to ICU with Fareeha hot on her heels, she just opened the door in front of her and stepped out of the way, smiling brightly at the two women approaching her. Lena stopped in front of her for a mere second before turning to walk in to the room.

“Amélie…” she whispered, surging forward and jumping right into the French woman’s spread arms.

“Ma chérie…” she answered, hiding her face in her wet, yet still dishevelled hair. “I’m so sorry.”

“I was so scared for you.” Lena climbed onto bed, kicking her boots down and lying next to her girlfriend, who was smiling happily for the first time since the accident.

“I’m so sorry.” she mumbled into her hair, inhaling and exhaling slowly, feeling at ease in her presence.

Lena was pressing into her ribs a bit too much and she laid her head very close to where the burns were, but Amélie didn’t care. She pulled her even closer, squirming in pain, but that wasn’t important. Lena was with her, right next to her, looking like a sleepy puppy in her arms. That was all that mattered in that moment.

*

Angela closed the door behind them, grabbing Fareeha’s hand and pulling her back into their accommodations.

“I wonder, were we so disgustingly adorable when we started dating?” Fareeha asked, curious.

“I don’t know, perhaps. Want to ask your mother?” Angela teased.

“Very funny. Why are you rushing so much, Angela, calm down!”

“Because, we are going to have a shower and finally, we can go to sleep. Do you hear me, dear? Sleep!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear that this was the last very angsty chapter. Hope you liked it!


	14. The calm before the storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I actually sat down to write down the next short-ish chapter, I kind of realized that there is not much that I have to tell about these two before they become enemies anymore. I ran out of ideas for them, at least for this story, so I decided that I will write one longer, final chapter and will end it here before it gets way too boring to read and write. I hope you had fun reading it, because I definitely loved writing this. Thank you for sticking with me and enjoy this last one piece.

She _insisted_ on carrying her up the stairs.

Lena trying to pick up the much taller woman and carry her in her arms, that was a sight to see, especially since they hit the wall more than three times while getting around the corners. Amélie’s injuries were pretty much healed, all that remained were fading scars and burned shoulders that required special care.

She tried to explain to Lena that she was fine to walk, but the brit was even more stubborn than usual. She put her down on her couch gently right after they entered, ordering Amélie to stay right where she was, saying that she would take care of everything. Amélie had to admit that it was rather amusing to watch, but she then joined her girlfriend on her efforts to carry her stuff into the flat.

Although Angela declined at first, she went back to the Lacroix residence, picking up the most necessary things that Amélie would need, while swearing vigorously in German the entire time she spent in that house. It was not something she wanted to stick her nose into, it was Amélie’s and Gérard’ business, but she understood that the French woman didn’t want to see her husband at that time and that it would be even more awkward for Lena to go and pack her things. She couldn’t resist and burst into laughter at the though.

Ever since Gérard learned about the couple, the pilot kept on dodging him in the hallways of the base, avoiding him at all costs. He managed to catch her once, slowly backing her against to wall, to give her pat on a back and well-meant thank you, knowing that Amélie was happier with her than she was ever with him. It was strange at first, but the two of them got used to each other again. No hard feelings after all.

Lena took a break from her work although Amélie completely opposed that idea.

However, according to Torbjörn it was a rather good decision. The other pilots from the group that was supposed to test the Slipstream jet were so far behind Lena, that they just might get the time to finally catch up if she took a vacation for a week or two. To add to that, Angela gave him a pretty long talk about how important this was to both Lena and Amélie, before the brit even approached him. Well, he didn’t really have a choice.

Even though Angela discharged her, stating that she was fully recovered, Lena kept on treating her as if she was still the ICU and couldn’t move a muscle without pain surging through her entire body each time she tried. And so it happened that Amélie was laid down in Lena’s bed, while the little brit cooked, took care of her scars and did everything she could to make Amélie feel like she was home.

*

She couldn’t resist.

She kept on trailing her fingers lightly across the skin of her now bare torso, stopping at each one of her scars to trace its outline. It sent shivers down Amélie’s spine, a strange sensation bordering pain surging through her every time she touched her. Soon, she could feel lips gently placing kisses along her burns and she had cover her mouth before the moan, that was building in her chest, could escape.

“I know you like it.” Lena whispered near her ear and continued on her journey down her lover’s body.

“Lena, remember what Angela said.” it was getting harder and harder to form sentences since Lena was slowly disappearing down her torso and further down her wide spread legs.

“You’re thinking about Angela right now? I feel kinda insulted, love.” she teased, adding by playful bites into the inside of her thighs.

“No vigorous exercise for at least two weeks.” Amélie managed to pronounce, her breach hitching in her throat.

“Nah, this doesn’t count. Plus, I don’t want you to _do_ anything, just lay there and _enjoy_.”

Lena knew what she was doing to her and how agonizingly good it felt. She was truly trying her best to persuade the French woman into breaking the doctor’s orders, yet she kept her distance.

Amélie was at war with herself for few seconds, hormones and frustration battling with rational thinking. Lena kept on nibbling into her lower stomach, getting low groans and growls from her.

Rational thinking won, as Amélie gently tugged Lena upwards, kissing her slowly, gently cupping her face.

“I’m sorry, ma chérie. Just few more days, until Angela says it’s okay.” she apologized, giving her another quick peck on the lips.

Lena sighted, slightly disappointed, but smiled nevertheless.

“Okay then, luv. But you can’t blame me for trying.” she said, before tumbling down from the taller woman and jumping onto her feet. “Now I’m going to get me some _vigorous exercise_ to get this out of my system.”

“Trust me, once Angela’s gives me permission, I’ll make sure it will be worth the wait.”

*

Amélie takes her out one night.

She picked a bit too fancy restaurant, at least for Lena’s standards, but she chose wisely and picked just the right table – one hidden from the sight of the rest of the customers, where there was quiet and all the privacy they could wish for.

“I was wondering,” Amélie started, taking a large gulp of water before continuing. “If you perhaps want to look for a place… You know, for the two of us.” she managed to push out of herself, looking everywhere else but her girlfriend.

I took her a minute, but when Lena finally realized, what she meant, she blushed slightly and smiled like crazy.

“You mean like an apartment?” she asked already knowing the answer. She loved when Amélie got all flustered and red in her face.

“Yes, something like that.”

“Together?”

“Yes.” she started to sound less and less sure, playing with her fingernails under the table.

“Want to go look tomorrow?”

*

Lena gently squeezed her hand as they walked back home.

“Tomorrow, when I get on the Slipstream jet, will you be there?”

“Of course I will. I want to be the first one to greet you when you come back.”

There was a short moment of silence before Lena spoke again.

“Je t'aime.”

Amélie smiled at the terrible accent before replying.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what happens now – in about a week I will start a new series called ‘I’m not giving up on you, my love’ what will be a continuation of this fic, telling about what happened after Talon kidnapped Amélie and after the Slipstream accident. I have some ideas for oneshots, one AU that I’m working on currently and one very angsty piece about Mercy. If you have any prompts for these two, be sure to leave them in my inbox here or on my tumblr.  
> Thank you again for reading, hope you will enjoy what will come in the future.


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